Ashleigh Murray will have the honour of flying the South African flag at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina this weekend after being named on the eight member women’s panel.

Murray, who earned her place on the 2018/19 World Rugby Women’s HSBC Sevens Series panel in August, touched down in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, with her first assignment at the international spectacle being the match between France and Columbia on Saturday. The tournament will run from Saturday 13 to Monday 15 October.

Murray has been on the SA Rugby women’s referee panel since 2014, and she has made massive strides in her career this season, which has seen her officiate at the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series Qualifier in Hong Kong, the Africa Women’s Sevens in Botswana and the World University 7s Championships in Namibia. She also took charge of the SA Rugby Women’s Interprovincial final between Border and Western Province last season.

“We are very proud of Ashleigh for being the only South African referee to be appointed to the Youth Olympics referee panel, and we wish her luck in Argentina,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.

“Her appointment serves as evidence that hard work and dedication pays off, and it is certainly a feather in the cap for our referees department, whose high standards have ensured that our male and female referees feature consistently in top international events.”